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College basketball: Wichita State (34-0) keeps cruising

Associated Press

Posted:
03/09/2014 09:22:28 PM PDT

Updated:
03/09/2014 10:46:20 PM PDT

Wichita State's still perfect. And proudly awaiting a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.

After the nation's only unbeaten made another put-away run in the Missouri Valley Conference tournament title game, guard Fred VanVleet fired back at doubters who cast aspersions on a schedule ranked 113th in the nation.

"You can debate what you want to debate. Facts are facts, truth is truth," VanVleet, the conference player of the year, said after scoring 22 points to lead the No. 2 Shockers past Indiana State 83-69 on Sunday in St. Louis. "We're not into debating how good or great we are or how bad somebody else is.

"That's for barber shop talk and coffee table arguments. We're not into that stuff. If they feel that way, it's on them. And nobody that's arguing about it is on the selection committee."

Players wore championship T-shirts that proclaimed Wichita State (34-0) the winner on the front but on the back had a bracket with Indiana State winning.

"They'll get us the right ones eventually," guard Ron Baker said.

Wichita State matched the NCAA record for victories to start the season by UNLV in 1990-91.

"They do not have weaknesses," Indiana State coach Greg Lansing said of the Shockers. "If anybody could see one, I'd like to hear it."

NCAA bids: Florida Gulf Coast, which reached the Sweet 16 last year, won't get a return trip after losing 68-60 to Mercer in the Atlantic Sun championship game. Mercer (26-8) earned its first NCAA bid since 1985. Coastal Carolina sealed its first NCAA berth since 1993 by defeating Winthrop 76-61 in the Big South title game. The Chanticleers (21-12) are coached by Cliff Ellis, who previously guided South Alabama, Clemson and Auburn into the NCAAs.

Women

Connecticut 83, Rutgers 57: Breanna Stewart scored 22 points, and the No. 1 Huskies (33-0) cruised past the Scarlet Knights (22-9) to reach the final of the inaugural American Athletic Conference tournament in Uncasville, Conn. UConn meets No. 3 Louisville in the title game Monday. The Cardinals (30-3) beat South Florida 60-56.